AFCENT conference strengthens senior enlisted partnerships

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Senior enlisted leaders from the U.S. Air Force and partner nation air forces gathered at the Ninth Air Force’s (Air Forces Central) Senior Enlisted Leadership Conference at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Nov. 2-6, 2026.

Hosted in partnership with JBSA-Lackland, the conference focused on enlisted force development, professional growth and relationships among senior enlisted leaders.

The conference theme, “Building an Airman: From Recruit to Strategic Leader,” explored how the Air Force develops Airmen from recruiting and initial entry through technical training, professional military education and senior enlisted leadership.

“The Air Force hosts events like these to bring together senior enlisted leaders from partner nations around the world, providing a powerful forum for collaboration, fostering strategic cross-talk,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Wilfong, Ninth Air Force Command Chief.

Throughout the week, participants examined the Air Force’s deliberate approach to enlisted development through presentations, discussions and visits to various sites across JBSA-Lackland. The program included engagements with the recruiting squadron, basic military training, Airman Leadership School, security forces technical training, the Noncommissioned Officer Academy and the Defense Language Institute.

For Wilfong, Lackland offered an opportunity to show how the Air Force develops civilians into professional Airmen and prepares enlisted members for progressively greater responsibilities.

“As we’re looking at how we build Airmen in the Air Force, we key in on Lackland as being a good place to go and showcase how we recruit Airmen off the street, all the way to what it means to graduate the NCO Academy and everything in between,” Wilfong said.

Rather than prescribe a single model for partner nations, the conference gave participants an opportunity to examine practices they could adopt to meet the needs of their own forces while sharing their experiences with regional counterparts.

“Our goal isn’t to dictate how things should be done, because we aren’t a one-size-fits-all model,” Wilfong said. “The idea is to share our processes so they can take back whatever tools best help them influence change in their own enlisted development.”

Conference discussions also focused on how enlisted development prepares Airmen for greater responsibility throughout their career. Chief Master Sergeant of the Royal Jordanian Air Force Wajdi Jamal Al-Zoubi emphasized that developing Airmen requires more than technical training.

“Our responsibility goes beyond developing technical skills,” said Al-Zoubi. “We must build well-rounded Airmen who demonstrate professionalism, discipline, resilience, accountability and leadership. We must empower them, develop their potential and prepare them to take responsibility.”

The conference provided senior enlisted leaders with a forum to compare how their air forces develop noncommissioned officers and address shared force-development challenges.

“Although our military structures may differ, we face many common challenges,” Al-Zoubi said. “Sharing experiences allows us to learn from each other, build trust and develop solutions that strengthen not only our individual air forces, but also our collective capabilities.”

Wilfong credited organizations across JBSA-Lackland for supporting the conference from initial planning through the week’s site visits and professional-development engagements.

“Since we came up with this idea and started engaging with Team Lackland, they have been massive supporters of all this,” Wilfong said. “They jumped in headfirst with everything we’ve been asking, from the wing through the Airman Leadership School, NCO Academy and technical school. Team Lackland has gone all in on this, and I can’t thank them enough for it all.”
-30-

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.